Thermostatic fuel control for gas-heated ovens



15e. E, MEACHAM. THEHNIOSTATIU FUEL CONTROL FOR GAS HEATED OVENS.

APPLICATION FILE() JULY l9l9.

Lzaened Mar. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS SHEE B. E. MEACHAM. THERMOSTATIC FUEL CONTROL FUR GAS HEATED OVENS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 7, I9I9.

.Patented Mur. 23, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED sTATEs' PATENT onrion.

lBENJ'AIVlN EDWIN MEACHAM, OF LORAIN. OHIO, ASSGNUR T0 AMERCAN STVE CMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSUURI, A CORPURATlEON OF NEW JERSEY.

THERMSTATIC FUEL CONTROL FOR GAS-HEATJED OVENS.

111,: entre...

Specification of Letters Patent.

ltatented Mar., 23, ltltl.

Application led July 7, 1919.A Serial No. 309.945.

ret'erence being had therein to the accom# panying drawing.

This invention relates to improvements in thermostatic fuel regulating devices for gas ovens, and it pertains to a thermostatic control for the gas fuel, capable oi being adjusted to maintain the desired predetermined temperatures vwithin thef oven for slow or fast cooking, as the case may be.

rlFhe present improvement relates to the type of regulator shown and described in my Patent No. 1,236,335, dated August 7th, 1919, and the primary object of my present improvement is to so construct the operating parts that the regulating wheel for the thermostat is located Ibelow the top housing which contains the thermostatic mechanism, whereby the construction ist adapted to be used with certain types of stoves for which the location of the adjusting wheel at the upper end of the housing, as in said patent, is not well adapted.

lin the accompanying drawings-u Figure 1 shows one type of stove withvmy present improvement applied thereto and witl. which it is particularly adapted to be use F ig. 2 is a iront elevation of another type ot 'stove showing my present improvement applied thereto and with which it is particularly adapted to be used.

Fig. 3 is avertical central sectional view oit my present. improvement.

ferring nowt particularly tot Fig. 3,

which shows my improved thermostatic mechanism, 1 is a housing carrying at its upper lend a thermostatic tube 2, projecting within the oven to be heated. The lower end ot the housing 1, has a gas-inlet opening l, preferably controlled by a hand valve 5. il; burner 6 ist located within the oven and a gas-outlet ni ple 7 communicates with the housing 1, an with the burner l6. A gas controlling valve .8 controls the' flow of gas through the nipple 7, and this vvalve is normally forced toward its seat by a suitable spring 9.

Located within the housing 1, is alcver 10, which has its lower end in engagement with the valve S, and one end of a yoke 11 is pivoted to the upper portion ot the lever 10 at the point 12. il shortlever 13 is pivoted to the other end ot' the yoke 11 at the point 1l,`intermediate the ends ot' the lever 13. il roller or wheel 15 is carried by the lower end oi the lever 13. and is in engagement with the upper end of the lever 10.

The upper end of the lever 13- has a point or knit'e edge 1G, that is in engagement with a member 1l', which in turn engages the outer end of a porcelain rod 18 that is located within the thermostatic expansion and contraction tube 2.

The operation of the thermostat is well understood to those skilled in this art and a description 'thereof is unnecessary.`

A rotatable shaft 19 is screw-threaded into the housing 1, at the point 20, the outer end of the rod carries a notched wheel 21, the notches 22 of which are engaged by a suitable spring latch 23, for the purpose ot' holding the wheel and rod 1-9 in their ad justed positions. The periphery 24 ot the wheel 21 carries numbers indicating certain degrees of heat, and when the numbers are opposite the pointer (not shown) the degree of heat indicated by the number will be maintained within the oven 3. When .the wheel 21 is turned, the screw-threaded shaft iis turned with it and moves in or out according! to the direction in which it is turned.

IThe inner end yof the shaitt 19, engages a point or kniite edge :25, extending outward from the yoke between its ends. The lower extended end 26- of the yoke 11 rests upon an adjustable screw-threaded plug 27, the function and purpose ot which will be presently explained.

As beliore stated, the spring 9 is normali;1 pushing the valve 8 to its closed position, carryingn with it 'the lower end of the lever 10, which moves the upper end ot' the lever outward in engagement with the lower end oi the lever 13, throwing its upper end inward against the member 17, and normally holding the latter against the e'nd of the por celain rod 18.

i When the oven and thermostat are cold, the thermostatic tube 2 is contracted pushing the porcelain rod 18 toward the housing 1, and causing the inner end 'of the member 17 lll-0 to force the valve 8 open against the 'tensionof the spring'9, due to the intervening lever 8 toward its closed position.

- tion which construction that has already been eX-..

plained. When the thermostat-ic tube 2'expands, the parts move in opposite direction, permitting the spring 9 to move the valve The object of the screw-threaded plug 27 is to enable the manufacturer to initially adjustthedevice to the proper lstarting posiadjustmentis not afterward disturbed.

The parts having thus been initially adjusted by the manufacturer, it is ready for operation. Normally the valve 8 vis open y and the heating is started by admitting gas "to the housing 1, by Yopening the hand-valve 5 and lighting the burner 6, and the operator turns the wheel 21, either before orimmediately after lightingthe burner 6, with the indicated heat degree at the spring latch 23. The adjustment of the parts will then lbesuch that the gas-valve 8 will be operated to open or closed position to maintain the desired degree of heat in the oven 3. l

By means of thel yoke 11 and the compound leverage which has been described, I am enabled to locate the-adjusting wheel 21 considerably below the top of the housing 1, whereby when the device is appliedkto the type of stove shown in F ig. 1, the adjusting -wheel 21 is considerably below-the top 28 of the oven 3. Likewise whenl the device is applied to the type of stove 'shown in Fig. 2, the wheel 2l is below the top of the oven 82 and sufiiciently below the upper oven 33 to be out of the way and readily accessible for operation. Y

This location is advantageous because it places the regulating wheel in a ,position convenient to be operated and it is below v the top of the oven and out of the way in crating for transportation.

From theforegoing it will bev understood, of course, that the housing 1 is a gas-containing housing when the device is in operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and vdesire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A fuel regulatorof the character `de" scribed, comprising a housing having a thermostat projecting from its upper end and a gas outlet at its lower end, a valve controlling the said gas outlet, a lever mechanism operatively connecting the valve and the thermostat, said lever mechanism including a gas-outletl from its lower end, a valve controlling the gas-outlet', a lever -mechanism operatively connecting the thermostat and lthe valve, said lever mechanism including a yoke, and an adjustable shaft engaging the yoke intermediate its ends, a manually operated member connected with the shaft,

-the lower end of the yoke having an eXtension, and an adjustable member engaging the extension of the yoke, the parts combined for the purpose described.

v3. A fuel regulator of the character described, comprising a housing having a thermostat projecting from its top, and a gasoutlet at its bottom, afvalve controlling the said outlet, a lever mechanism loperatively connecting the valve andthe thermostat, said lever mechanism including a yoke, and an adjustable shaft engaging the yoke between its ends, a manually'operated member `connected with the shaft, the lower end`of the yoke having an extension, a housing carrying a member engagmg the extension Vof the vyoke and adjustable from outside of the housing, the lparts combined for the purpose described.

4. A fuel regulator of `the character described, comprising a housing having a'thermostat projecting from its top and a gasoutlet at its bottom, a valve controlling the gas outlet, a lever within the housing havingl its lower end operatively connected with the valve, a yoke having its lower end pivoted *to the lever below the upper end of the lever,

a second lever having its lower end engaging the upper end of the first lever and its upper end operatively connected with the thermostat,the upper end ot' the yoke pivoted to the second l'lever intermediate the ends of the lever, and an adjust-able shaft operative from the outside of the housingnnd engaging the yoke intermediate its ends, the parts combined and operating, for the purpose described.- y

In testimony whereof I hereunto ahx my signature.

BENJAMIN EDWIN MEACHAM. 

